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Christina Gallagher
| residence = | education = | affiliation = | profession = Secretary for Peter Russo Secretary for President Garrett Walker | father = | mother = | siblings = | marital = | spouse = | children = | sigothers = Ex-lover: Peter Russo (d. 2013) | others = | actor = Kristen Connolly | seasons = 1, 2 | appearances = 2 seasons, 16+ episodes | firstseenepisode = | lastseenepisode = | firstmentioned = | lastmentioned = | gallery = Gallery }} Christina Gallagher is the former executive assistant to Peter Russo and President Garrett Walker, as well as a former love interest of Peter Russo. Biography Peter Russo's secretary and girlfriend An attractive woman in her late twenties, Christina Gallagher was hired by Rep. Peter Russo to be his executive assistant. They soon began a relationship and within months she moved into his apartment. Despite hiding their office romance, the relationship didn't go unnoticed by the House Majority Whip Frank Underwood's Chief of Staff Doug Stamper. As their private and professional lives overlap, the two function in tandem at work when dealing with Russo's constituency and financial donors. Well clued into the nature and tone of his meetings, Christina does her part to get her boss/boyfriend out of a jam as things are about to take an unpleasant turn. When Henry Chapman whose company donated $50,000 to Russo's congressional campaign comes to berate him about not delivering on the promise of changing the zoning laws after he got elected to the House, Christina places an urgent call saying the President-elect Garrett Walker wants to speak thus providing Russo with an opening to act out a conversation with the President that increases his credibility in Chapman's eyes. Seemingly fragile and delicate, Christina occassionaly displays insecurity about the level of Peter's commitment as she coaxes him into showing her more affection, reasoning that "it's been six months, it's not an office fling anymore" and demanding to know he's "not going to toss her aside for some slut straight out of Vassar". Though not aware of the gory details of Russo's various vices, Christina is a first hand witness of the effects of his alcoholism and cocaine addiction, that are only exacerbated by Underwood's and Stamper's manipulation of Russo following his DUI with prostitute Rachel Posner. Fed up and emotionally drained by her troubled partner's behavior, Christina eventually leaves Russo. Getting back together with Russo and the gubernatorial campaign After convincing Russo to run for the vacated Pennsylvania governor post and engineering his gubernatorial campaign, Underwood was also able to get Christina to return to Peter. As Russo is cleaning up his act through AA meetings as well as making amends with his constituency and campaigning around the state, Christina is firmly by his side offering comfort and emotional support. He even introduces her to his cranky mother and takes her to his childhood home as their once broken relationship seems to be mending. However, it all starts to unravel again after Russo is coaxed into having a drink by Posner who was put up to it by Underwood via Stamper. As Russo slips back into alcoholism, Christina tries unsuccessfully to get through to him while the campaign goes completely off the rails. After Russo's death After Peter Russo's death, Christina's way of dealing with the tragedy is making a swift break that includes not even going to his funeral. She immerses herself fully into work, running every aspect of the congressional office Russo left behind. After coordinating and getting approval from the DCCC, she summons Paul Capra, Russo's childhood friend turned adversary turned friend again, who is influential with the Philadelphia trade unions, to D.C. in order to get him to run for Russo's vacated seat in the House. Thinking she invited him to D.C. for emotional comfort, he is shocked at hearing the offer, feeling it's too soon only a month after Russo's death though remains coy as to whether he'll accept to run. Through her sources at the DCCC, Slugline journalist Janine Skorsky learns of the plans to enter Capra in the race for Russo's seat as well as his trip to D.C. to meet with Christina. Skorsky calls Capra to confirm that information but he remains coy though he reveals that Russo was pressured from above to stay silent at the Brack hearing for the shipyard closing. Skorsky starts connecting the dots and, though lacking proof, suspects the pressure Capra mentioned came from Frank Underwood, reasoning that the fact Underwood had nothing to do with Russo before the shipyard closing and then suddenly started propping him up in the gubernatorial race is highly suspicions. Also long suspecting Underwood has been feeding stories to Zoe, Skorsky mentions her Russo-Underwood hypothesis to Zoe who doesn't believe this version of events. When Skorsky directly confronts Zoe about Underwood being the source of her big breaking stories, Zoe won't admit to it, but admits to knowing him and agrees to ask him about the alleged strong-arming of Russo at the Brack hearings. When asked about it, Underwood lies to Zoe about the pressure he exerted on Russo, passing it off as mere advice to stay silent at the hearings for a later benefit. He also quickly connects the dots that the colleague Zoe is talking about is Janeane Skorsky. As a potential Achilles heel that could provide further information that potentially connects Russo's death with Frank Underwood, Christina is closely monitored by Doug Stamper. After Skorsky approaches Christina in the congressional cafeteria to ask questions about Capra running and Russo being pressured to not fight the shipyard's closing, she's quickly interrupted by Stamper who joins their table, effectively chasing Skorsky away before telling Christina to let him know if she's again harassed into answering questions she doesn't want to answer. Shaken up Christina looks through Russo's belongings and gets emotional. Skorsky views Stamper's sudden appearance when she sat down to talk to Christina to be further indication something untoward is happening while Zoe, upon some investigating of her own, still feels that Russo's silence at the hearing was simply trading in a favour to Rep. Terry Womack for some benefit down the road. However, after reminding Zoe of the timeline of different events and Underwood's hand in them, Skorsky raises sufficient doubt in Zoe's head whether Roy Kapeniak's phone call to Zoe to confirm that Michael Kern wrote the 1978 anti-Isreal editorial was actually engineered by Underwood. After flying out to talk to Kapeniak only to find his stripper girlfriend and discovering that Russo paid them a visit back in January 2013, Zoe is fully convinced something is up and starts working with Skorsky. They agree that they need to go back to Christina, deciding that it will be Zoe since Skorsky is being watched by Stamper. Barging into Russo's former office to talk to Christina without an appointment, Zoe tells her Russo flew out to see Kopeniak on the night of 24 January 2013, asking her if she remembers anything else. Though dismissive at first, Christina is clearly shaken up as she remembers the night Russo stormed out of their apartment without an explanation. Doug Stamper later meets with Christina, suspecting she hasn't been completely forthcoming about her contacts with journalists. She admits that Zoe visited her and that "she knew things about Peter like something to do with Kern losing the nomination" all of which is enough for Stamper to raise alarms with Underwood. Christina takes a job on the President's staff. After the death of Zoe Barnes, Christina, now a member of presidential staff, is approached by Lucas Goodwin. She is suspected by Claire Underwood to be having an affair with President Garrett Walker, and later suspected by the president's wife, Patricia Walker, as well. Patricia convinces the president to fire Christina after subtle hints made to that effect by Claire Underwood. Behind the Scenes Christina Gallagher was portrayed by Kristen Connolly in Seasons 1 and 2 of House of Cards. Appearances Category:Americans Category:Females Category:Residents of Washington D.C Category:Characters Category:Main Characters